ML13319A667
| ML13319A667 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vogtle  |
| Issue date: | 11/27/2013 |
| From: | Ho Nieh Division of Inspection and Regional Support |
| To: | Huang T Govt of Korea, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) |
| Samantha Crane, NRR/DIRS 415-6380 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML13319A667 (6) | |
Text
November 27, 2013 Mr. Tae S. Huang Risk Assessment Department Head Korean Institute of Nuclear Safety 19 Gusung-Dong Yusung-Gu Daejon, Korea 305-338
Dear Mr. Tae S. Huang:
Please accept our deepest gratitude and appreciation for the outstanding service provided by Dr. Ku Young Chung during his assignment to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). His professionalism and performance, coupled with a positive attitude and ability to work well with the NRC staff brought credit to both the Korean Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) and the NRC.
Dr. Chung worked very hard during his assignment here at the NRC. He followed his program of work and contributed to the tasks and work products of both the Office of New Reactors (NRO) and the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR). Dr. Chung stated that his mission was to understand the NRCs inspection processes and practices and why the NRC developed and implemented the current inspection and oversight process. One of the NRC practices he highlighted is that a systematic, objective, integrated process to assess a licensees performance is essential to providing adequate protection to the public. I am hopeful that the information he learned while performing his assignments will be useful to KINS.
Dr. Chung was assigned to the Construction Inspection Program Branch in NRO for approximately six months in late 2012 and early 2013. During that time, Dr. Chung worked on a variety of tasks related to the development and management of the NRCs Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 52 Construction Inspection Program. One area of mutual benefit to both KINS and the NRC was his effort in the review and development of inspection procedures. In one case, Dr. Chung was an integral part of a team assigned to review and upgrade a series of Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC) inspection procedures. Drawing upon the KINS construction inspection experience and procedures, he provided very valuable insight and inspection guidance. As part of that effort, Dr. Chung was the primary author for one of the procedures and the quality of his work was excellent. In addition, Dr. Chung visited the AP1000s under construction at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia where he was able to observe the implementation of the construction inspection program. Overall, the Construction Inspection Branch appreciated their time with Dr. Chung and look forward to sharing observations in the future.
Dr. Chung was assigned to the Reactor Inspection Branch in NRR for approximately six months ending in October of 2013. During that time, Dr. Chung interacted regularly with NRR and regional staff, and, on occasion, with licensee personnel. He asked many good questions, and shared insightful perspectives on the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) by comparing and contrasting various elements of the ROP to those in the Korean regulatory process. Dr.
Chung participated in ongoing NRC initiatives to enhance the ROP, including efforts to improve
T. Huang 2
two Problem Identification and Resolution Inspection Procedures that account for approximately 20 percent of the ROP findings.
Specifically, Dr. Chung accompanied Reactor Inspection Branch staff to an industry sponsored Corrective Action Program Owners Group conference where he actively participated during the conference. He also participated in and observed the inspection preparation for a Component Design Bases Inspection at the Diablo Canyon Power Station where he asked many good questions about the engineering inspection process and team structure, and subsequently assisted the team by inspecting selected components.
At the completion of his assignment, Dr. Chung prepared and delivered an outstanding presentation to the Director of NRR and other NRC executives and managers in which he outlined the ROP insights he gained during his assignment and recommendations he had formulated for Korean commercial nuclear power regulation. Additionally, he presented a second topic on his insights on the International Atomic Energy Agencys (IAEA) approach to beyond-design-basis events. Both presentations were very well received and the Director of NRR and other NRC staff complimented Dr. Chung on his presentations. Overall, the Reactor Inspection Branch was grateful for the opportunity to host and interact with Dr. Chung.
Dr. Chung is intelligent and conscientious, and on behalf of the NRC, it was a pleasure to host him as an assignee. Dr. Chung has well represented KINS during his time at NRC.
Sincerely,
/RA By AHowe For/
Ho K. Nieh, Director Division of Inspection and Regional Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Attachments:
Photos of Dr. Chung at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
ML13319A667 OFFICE NRR/DIRS/IFIB OIP NRR/DIRS/IFIB NRR/DIRS NAME JHopkins WSmith AKock HNieh (AHowe For)
DATE 11/18/2013 11/19/2013 11/20/22013 11/27/2013
Attachment Dr. Chung and NRC staff in front of the Reactor Pressure Vessel for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
2 Michael Brown and Dr. Chung in the Modular Assembly Building for the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
3 Dr. Chung in front of the Nuclear Island for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Unit 4